


What is watered, grows

by Laramie



Series: Aaron the gardener AU [1]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Gardens & Gardening, Happy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 15:08:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17727545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laramie/pseuds/Laramie
Summary: A gentle story about being happy with what you have even when you want more, and then getting more and being happy with that too.





	What is watered, grows

**Author's Note:**

> Forgive me, I'm a horticulture student.
> 
> This fic stubbornly refused to follow any of my plans for it but I'm happy as hell with how it has turned out. So here's your almost entirely angst-free robron escapism - there are some small warnings for mentions of self-harm and allusions to Gordon but nothing graphic or current.

**25th June 2014**

Aaron checked the house number he had written on the back of an old petrol receipt. 29. Squinting through the window, he saw that he was at 23 - now 25 - 27 - and he pulled up outside number 29, turning off the van's engine and just looking at it for a few moments. The owner had phoned the day before about pruning back a tree in the back garden, though he was clearly no gardener as he had had no idea what kind of tree it was. He had not even answered Aaron's request for him to describe it - leaf shape? trunk colour? - merely said that he didn't know anything about trees and wanted Aaron to come and take a look at it. Aaron had been tempted to tell him to get lost, but this was a very nice street full of expensive detached and semi-detached houses, and he was curious to get a look at one of the gardens.

Aaron walked up to the front door and rang the bell. The house showed signs of expensive, unneccessary modifications, such as a round porthole window where the other houses in the street had square ones. He was probably some old guy who had lived here for years and now he was retired, he couldn't keep up with the garden. Yes, Aaron thought, this "Robert Sugden" would be an easygoing old man with watery eyes, who liked a chat and pressed Aaron to take home cuttings of his roses every other week.

He could not have been more wrong.

The door was opened to reveal a sandy-haired bloke in a well-fitting suit. He looked somewhere around thirty and had the brightest eyes Aaron had ever seen. He was very good-looking, despite the frown, and Aaron had to take a steadying breath before he introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm Aaron. You phoned me about your tree needing a prune."

Robert's brow evened out. "Oh, yeah. I thought you might be Jehovah's witnesses again; they've been down the street already this morning. Come on in. Can I get you a cup of tea?"

"Sure, thanks," Aaron agreed. He had been let into a hall with wooden flooring and a welcome mat; he slipped off his boots and carried them, not trusting them not to track half-dried mud all over Robert's floors and wanting to make a good first impression for the potential client. He followed Robert into the open-plan kitchen in his socks, his big toe poking through the left one. The whole place was immaculately tidy, a simple expanse of glossy white cupboard doors with black countertops and black tiles behind the oven. However, Aaron was more interested in the garden he could see through the sliding glass doors. He told himself to be patient, and stood the table side of the counter which jutted out from the wall to separate the kitchen from the dining area, watching Robert in the kitchen.

"Milk and sugar?" Robert asked, opening a door to his right. There was a pot of sugar in there, as well as tins of earl grey, raspberry tea and normal tea. Aaron couldn't decide if he thought that was pretentious or endearing.

"Milk, two sugars," Aaron said. "You can leave the bag in."

"Strong enough to stand a spoon up in?" Robert suggested, smiling as he dropped teabags into two matching white mugs and added generous spoons of sugar to each of them.

"Something like that," Aaron agreed, returning the smile.

Robert held each mug under the tap and turned it on; Aaron almost protested at this heinous mistreatment of teabags with lukewarm water, until the steam coming out made him realise that it was one of those instant boiling water taps they advertised on the telly. That explained the lack of a kettle on the countertops.

"Thanks," Aaron said, accepting his tea. "So how long have you lived here?"

"Only a few weeks. I just got a big redundancy pay-out so I was able to buy it outright."

Aaron was not sure if Robert was showing off or not; was he trying to be impressive, intimidating, or was he just being matter-of-fact? Either way, it kind of pissed him off. He didn't want to talk himself out of a customer too quickly, though, so he just said, "I'm surprised you're not drowning in boxes."

"Yeah, well... I like things tidy and I haven't exactly been overwhelmed with work to do," Robert said with a self-deprecating smile. "That'll be changing on Monday, though; I'm starting a new job."

"Mm-hm." Aaron took a sip of his tea and looked out of the doors, wanting to get a proper look outside.

"Aaand you don't give a shit."

Aaron quickly looked back at him, concerned that he was alienating a potentially lucrative customer, but Robert was smiling, the tea clasped in his hands like a baby bird.

"You just want to look at the garden."

Aaron grimaced playfully, feeling warm. "Is it that obvious?"

Robert gave a soft laugh. "Mate, it couldn't be more obvious if you'd physically moved me out of the way to get a better view."

"Mm, wouldn't call it a better view," Aaron returned, tipping his head. He felt a quick rush of adrenaline at being so obvious so quickly, but Robert kept up their eye contact, looking very pleased with himself.

"Come and see the garden," he invited, turning towards the door.

Aaron followed at once, pausing at the door to shove his feet into his black work boots without bothering to do up the laces. He stepped out onto a patio made of warm brown Yorkshire stone with some worn outdoor furniture on it. There was a wooden pergola over the top which was covered in  _ Parthenocissus _ , a climbing plant which also decorated the trellis which stretched all along the boundary fence on the left side. To the right of the patio, right in front of the house, were some raised beds made with railway sleepers and overflowing with vegetables and the whole season's weeds. In the centre was an overgrown lawn with some narrow, flowing flower beds for annuals, also choked with weeds. At the bottom of the garden was a strip of red- and yellow-stemmed cornus and the bright white trunks of Himalayan birch displayed in front of the deep green foliage of a yew hedge.

"Someone has put a LOT of work into this place," Aaron said. It made him a bit sad to see how much effort had been put in and was being rapidly overcome by weeds.

"Yeah," agreed Robert. "Anyway, that's the tree." He pointed at the birch on the right. "There's just that branch that's hanging over the neighbours' garden and they don't like it. Can you get it down?"

"No."

"No?"

"I mean no, not now," Aaron explained. "If you prune a Himalayan birch in June, it'll bleed to death. You need to do it in the dead of winter."

"Oh, right," Robert replied. "Suppose I'll have to have you back later." His eyes seemed to twinkle in the sunshine.

"Yeah, give me a call," Aaron agreed. "I can do the cornus at the same time if ya like; it looks like it's missed a year and you need to keep cutting it back to keep the stem colours bright." He was watching Robert's face as he spoke, and therefore thought he saw very clearly that Robert had had no idea what plant he was referring to until he mentioned the bright stem colours. "You are planning to keep up with the garden, aren't you? It'd be a crime to let it all go to waste."

"I don't know anything about gardening," Robert said. "I'm the son of a farmer but all that never really appealed to me. I have a confession, actually - I meant this as a bit of an interview, and you seem to know your stuff, so would you be interested in taking it on?"

"To maintain it?" Aaron considered his schedule. He'd probably need a day a week to start with, if he was going to get ahead of the weeds which had been running rampant for months. One of his old ladies was about to move into a care home, and the new owners were keen gardeners who didn't plan to keep him on, so he should have time. He explained this to Robert, adding, "Are Fridays okay, starting next week?"

"Yeah, fine," Robert agreed. "I was planning to work from home on Fridays, so I'll be around if you need anything."

They finalised the details and then Aaron headed off. He had a feeling that Robert was going to become one of his favourite clients.

-

**Mostly 18th July 2014**

He was correct. Robert's new garden had been kept in stunning condition up until the last year, so most of the weeds came up easily when he pulled, and they revealed dark brown, crumbly earth which was still moist a few centimetres down despite the summer heat. The garden was full of dappled sunshine streaming through the birches as he worked, making him pleasantly warm without burning the back of his neck or making him too uncomfortable in his long-sleeved top. It was a joy to work there.

To make things even better, Robert, who usually stayed mostly out of the way apart from a brief conversation before Aaron left, came out to see him towards the end of his third day there. Aaron straightened up from where he had been leaning over the raised vegetable bed. He shaded his eyes with a grubby hand - there was full sunlight, this close to the house, and Robert was standing with it behind him, so bright it hurt to look at him.

"I was wondering if you'd like to have a beer with me," he said, tipping the bottles he held by the neck in each hand.

Aaron tried to stop his face giving away quite how pleased he was. "Why not?"

Robert smiled and held out one of the bottles, which Aaron took from the bottom. He took a swig as Robert sat against the railway sleepers making up the raised bed, facing him.

"Bit presumptuous, opening them already," Aaron said. "What if I'd said no?"

"Then I'd need them both to drown my sorrows," Robert replied, deadpan.

Aaron snorted. He turned around to sit next to Robert, saying, "Sun's in my eyes that side." It was mostly true. He eyed Robert's white shirt and blue tie, which matched his suit trousers. "Do you actually own any clothes other than suits?"

"Of course I do! But you're always here on a work day, aren't you?"

"You're working from home," Aaron pointed out, pulling a face and gesturing vaguely with his beer. "No one knows or cares if you're all dressed up."

"I suppose it helps me stay focused," Robert shrugged. "Work clothes for a work day." He leaned sideways to nudge his shoulder against Aaron's, and his voice was quieter, more intimate, as he added, "That way I know that when I take it off, it's playtime."

Aaron's mouth pulled up at the corners. "Playtime? What are you, six?"

"Oi!" Robert said indignantly. "I'll have you know I turned eight last month!"

Aaron couldn't help but laugh at the mock outrage on Robert's face, watching it melt into a smile, his eyes crinkling up at the corners. There was something about the way Robert looked at him, the focused expression in his eyes, that made Aaron want to push him to his knees and see him looking up at Aaron and licking his lips as he unzipped Aaron's fly. Heat crept up the back of Aaron's neck, and it wasn't the sun causing it.

Aaron tore his gaze away and swallowed, trying to turn his thoughts to something else before his body got carried away. "I meant to tell you," he began, idly knocking the bottom of the beer bottle against the side of the raised bed. "My little sister's off school for the summer holidays next week and she's staying with me. I was planning to let her come out with me, said I'd pay her a bit for mowin' lawns, keep her occupied, you know, if that's okay with you?"

"Yeah, no problem," Robert agreed. "I'll make sure I'm not sunbathing naked that day, then."

"Yeah, save that for when it's just me," Aaron said, grinning.

Robert smiled down at the bottle in his hands and they sat in friendly silence for a few moments while the heated moment passed, giving a chance for Aaron's heart rate to calm down again.

"How old is your sister?" Robert asked, in a tone that suggested he was genuinely interested, not just making small talk.

"Fifteen."

"Sounds like you're pretty close," Robert commented, a clear invitation for Aaron to speak more about her.

Aaron wasn't terribly used to, well, speaking to people at all. Many of his customers were older people who took little encouragement to speak about their own memories when Aaron had to have a conversation with them. He worked alone, so there was no talking there, and although he still lived with his mum in the flat above her pub, he didn't really talk to her much, either. One of the only people he really felt relaxed in the company of was his best friend Adam.

Something about Robert, however, and the way Robert looked at him, made Aaron want to share a little of his life and see what Robert made of it. "I only found out about her recently. We've got different mums, I didn't see her after I left home when she was little. I, um... My dad... Well, the less said about that, the better. But he's gone now, and I met Liv - that's my sister's name, Liv - I finally met her again last year and... Yeah." He tried not to feel embarrassed about the garbled explanation, taking a too-large gulp of beer and swallowing it with difficulty.

"It's nice that you get on, after all that time," Robert said.

"You got any siblings?" Aaron asked, largely to turn the conversation from himself but also because he wanted to know.

"Unfortunately," Robert replied, pulling a face. "Only one I actually like, though: Vic. She's..." He paused, looking thoughtful, as he searched for the right words. "A force of nature. She has this van doing street food around York."

"Oh, nice. Any good?"

"She makes the best burgers you've ever tasted," Robert said earnestly.

"I'll have to try it some time and see if you're right," Aaron said. He drained the rest of his beer and set the bottle next to him. "For now though, I'd best get cleared up."

"Oh, of course, you want to go home," Robert said, watching Aaron stand up and begin to gather his tools. His statement wasn't an entirely accurate description of Aaron's feelings just then.

-

**25th July 2014**

"Is he fit?"

Aaron looked between the road through the windscreen and his sister on the passenger seat. "Who?"

"This guy we're going to. There has to be some perks to this stupid job."

Aaron knew she was talking shit; he knew full well that if she hated it that much, she would have stayed at the pub with his mum. His cheeks felt a bit warm as he considered how to answer her question. "He's like twice your age," he said. "And you're  _ fifteen _ , so don't go getting any ideas."

"I'm only asking," she said, with a sort of irritated indifference that he had never heard from anyone else. "Is he, then?"

"Yeah, alright, he is," Aaron admitted exasperatedly, just to shut her up, but he realised before he had even finished speaking that it was only going to spur her on.

"Do you fancy him?" she asked matter-of-factly.

"Oh my god, shut up."

Liv just shrugged. "Can we get McDonalds for tea?"

"Fine, whatever," Aaron agreed distractedly. This  _ thing  _ with Robert, whatever it might be called, felt too fragile, too private, to be talking about it in such a way with his fifteen year old sister, of all people.

He pulled up in front of Robert's house and they went around the back of the van to collect tools. Liv wanted to help unload the lawnmower, so they grabbed one side each and carried it through the wooden gate and along the path that led down the side of the house into the back garden. The path came out on the side of the patio, making an easy journey across it to deposit the mower on the grass while Aaron headed back out to collect a fork, a trowel and a plastic trug.

As Aaron stepped back onto the patio, he saw a movement in the corner of his eye. He looked around and froze, taken aback. Robert had come through the sliding door, and instead of his usual suit he was wearing smart grey shorts, bright green flip-flops and a crisp white t-shirt which clung flatteringly to his biceps. He still looked well put together, but the contrast to how formal he usually looked and how casual he looked now stopped Aaron in his tracks.

"Hey," Robert greeted him.

"Alright," Aaron returned, vaguely aware that Liv had stopped texting or whatever she was doing on her phone to watch, though the knowledge almost instantly slipped back out of his brain. "No suit today then?"

"I thought I'd take your advice," Robert said.

"Yeah?" Aaron bit the side of his lip as his eyes slid appreciatively down Robert's slender frame. "I like it."

For about a second, they smiled at each other, but then the moment was interrupted by Liv making gagging noises and oh, shit, fuck,  _ how _ had Aaron forgotten she was  _ right there _ ? The  _ last  _ thing he needed was his little sister watching him flirt. If he were a different sort of man, he might have grabbed her and rubbed his knuckles on her head, but he had never been very comfortable with initiating casual touches, so instead he gripped the trowel a bit harder and hoped he wasn't blushing. "Robert, this is my sister, Liv. Liv, Robert."

The two of them sort of nodded vaguely at each other, wearing expressions of equal distaste. Aaron felt a surge of protectiveness over Liv.

"Yeah, she's only mowing your lawn for you, no need to be polite to her, I suppose," he said, voice dripping in sarcasm.

Robert raised his eyebrows at Aaron before looking at Liv. "Morning, Liv," he said, a bit grudgingly.

"Hi. You got any gum?"

"Erm, no," Robert replied, looking surprised.

Liv shrugged. "Okay." She turned her back on them and went to the end of the garden, flopping down in the shade of the birch trees and pulling out her phone.

"She's... charming," Robert said, clearly not meaning it.

"Yeah, well, she's fifteen, what's your excuse?" Aaron retorted.

Robert chuckled. "Okay, I suppose that's fair."

Aaron spared him a wink to show there were no hard feelings before turning away to get to work. He spent the whole day alternating between fantasising about Robert and trying desperately  _ not  _ to fantasise about him for fear of getting a hard-on. He imagined bending Robert over the raised bed. He imagined the way Robert's face would change when Aaron pushed inside him. He imagined the papery bark of the birch tree against Robert's back as Aaron took them both in his hand together. He didn't  _ really _ want to do it out there in the garden - he wasn't into being watched - but it was pleasant to picture it.

The sun shone brightly all day. Aaron finished weeding the beds in the lawn before stopping for lunch. While he was eating, Liv finally started on the mowing, getting the motor started on only her second pull of the cord - she had had a fair bit of practice with it that week. He thought he might ask if she wanted to help him sow carrot and spinach seeds later.

Aaron was cheerfully chewing his cheese sandwich when the lawnmower cut out just as Liv gave a little scream. Abandoning his food, Aaron leapt up and rushed over.

"You alright?" he asked urgently.

"Well, yeah, but..."

Aaron followed her gaze. "Oh no, what have you done?" What had once been a brightly coloured patch of marigolds now looked as though it had had a haircut, with only green stalks sticking up sadly out of the earth, surrounded by a cluster of leaves at the base. "'Ow am I supposed to tell him, for god's sake?"

"Tell who what?"

Aaron and Liv span around to see Robert approaching across the lawn, holding an ice cream cone in each hand. Liv's furtive look at the flowerbed gave the game away immediately. Seeing the devastation, Robert covered his mouth with his forearm - but he seemed to be hiding a smile.

Aaron had been fully intending to take the blame for the accident, but seeing that Robert wasn't going to be particularly angry, he decided to let Liv go ahead and take responsibility for something. He elbowed her and raised his eyebrows at her.

Liv still looked nervous; she did not seem to have picked up on Robert's amusement. "I mowed your manky flowers," she said bluntly.

Aaron elbowed her again, more sharply.

"Sorry," she added.

The ice cream in Robert's raised hand started shaking as Robert began to laugh. The ends of his blonde hair wobbled. "Well, thank you for the most insincere apology I have ever received," he said, not unkindly, handing her one of the ice creams. He gave the other one to Aaron. "I hope she's not going to be a permanent partner."

"You'll be back with your mum next week, won't you?" Aaron said, directing it at Liv.

"Yeah," Liv agreed through a mouthful of ice cream.

"Sorry about the marigolds," Aaron added to Robert. "I'll pay for the damage."

"Nah, don't worry about it," Robert assured him. "I... wanted to ask you something actually, Aaron."

Aaron felt a jolt at hearing his name in Robert's voice, and another jolt when Robert laid a hand on his elbow. When Robert tilted his head, Aaron followed him away from Liv, who seemed happy enough to give up on the mowing and finish her ice cream. "What's up?"

"Well, since you've worked so hard on the vegetable patch, I wanted to invite you to stay for tea next week and eat some of the fruits of your labours."

_ He wants to see me _ , Aaron thought happily. "He cooks," he teased gently.

Robert smiled. "Who says you're not the one cooking?"

"The fact that I have beans on toast for tea at least three times a week says I'm not," Aaron said, grinning.

"Okay, I'll make the tea then," Robert conceded. "Interested?"

Aaron shrugged one shoulder. "Yeah," he agreed, trying to be casual. "Alright then."

\--

**31st July 2014**

Aaron tilted his head back under the spray of the shower. He had planned, when Robert had invited him over for tea, to nip back home for a wash before returning, but Robert had said,  _ "Don't be silly, you can use the shower here." _ So here he was, in Robert's expensive walk-in shower, using Robert's shower gel to wash off the dust of an afternoon's work - he was not staying the whole day any more, since the weeds were just about under control and there was not a day's worth of work to do every week any more. The gel smelled of Robert, or part of him, a citrus smell that Aaron had not realised he had picked up on.

For a moment, he considered having a quick wank, as he often did in the shower at home - in a shared house, it was infinitely preferable to do that sort of thing in a room with a lock - but he decided against it.  _ Not here _ . If anything, it might be nice to be a little bit on edge with Robert this evening.

He turned the shower off and stepped out, taking a towel from the heated rail and averting his gaze from the full-length mirror that faced him; it was heated from the back so that it had not steamed up. Aaron was reasonably at peace with his body these days; the spectre of his father had finally been laid to rest, he knew that at least some people found him attractive, and he was pleased with the solidity that the past few years gardening had given him. However, he still had a tendency towards self-harm when he was stressed or unhappy, and he didn't want to spend too much time looking at the results of those dark moods in the form of the scars on his stomach and arms.

After drying himself off and dressing in fresh clothes - a green Henley and dark jeans - Aaron tiptoed across the hallway to have a nose about. The room behind the bathroom was in use as Robert's home office. It seemed in a state of tension between order and chaos, as though it wouldn't take much tidying to sort it out, and yet was only a few stray pieces of paper away from irretrievable madness. On the desk under the window there was a photo of Robert standing next to a brown-haired woman in front of a burger van. They were both smiling proudly. Aaron could only assume it was Robert's sister, though he could not remember her name.

The larger room across the side of the house was Robert's bedroom. There was a dressing area at the street side, separated from the rest of the room by a screen wall of medium-toned wood. The screen did not reach all the way across the room, allowing light to stream in through the large frosted windows, and the bed protruded from it, facing the window at the back. There was a light grey, simple nightstand on each side of the bed, which was covered by a tan fleece blanket with pictures of llamas on. Aaron, who had been getting a bit intimidated by the house, smiled at the sight of that and turned to make his way back downstairs.

Aaron wandered into the kitchen to see Robert stirring a pot of what smelled like onions. He was wearing a pale blue paisley shirt rolled up to his elbows and turned to smile over his shoulder at Aaron as he came into the room and sat at the breakfast bar.

"I meant to get a bit more of a head start," Robert said, adding mince to the pan with a sizzle. "I thought it'd be in the oven by now, but the tomato sauce took longer than I thought and I wanted to change before I carried on."

Aaron raised his eyebrows. "You  _ made _ tomato sauce? I'm not sure whether to be impressed or disturbed."

"Go with impressed," Robert suggested, with a wink. "I come out better of the situation."

"What are you making, anyway?"

"Shepherd's pie. Everything except the mince is from the garden. Well, that and the butter."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Aaron said, watching the elegant looseness in Robert's movements as he retrieved a bottle of red wine from a cupboard and added a glug to the pan.

"I like cooking for other people," Robert said. "I can't always be bothered on my own but it's nice to have seen all this grow outside and now we're going to eat it. Also, this is the only thing I know how to make."

Aaron laughed, accepting a glass of wine from Robert and looping his thumbs around the stem. Robert asked if he really had beans on toast three times a week (he often did, if his mum didn't put her foot down) and they talked about food until the shepherd's pie was in the oven, after which Robert unrolled his shirt sleeves again and buttoned up the cuffs around his wrists.

They migrated to the living room while dinner was cooking, where they sat on one of the big brown sofas, the evening sunlight streaming through the window. Aaron sat close enough to Robert for their knees to touch, and then succumbed to the urge to put his bare feet on the dark wood coffee table, sinking down in his seat comfortably. He felt a bit jittery to be here with Robert in his home, as an actual guest, and couldn't stand to be perched upright while he did it.

Robert turned sideways, leaning his elbow against the back of the sofa and resting his head on his hand. "That was very expensive, you know," he admonished, and his gaze seemed to be trailing down Aaron's body as he tilted his head towards the table to show what he was referring to.

Aaron shrugged. "I'll replace it if I damage it. But if it can be damaged by me putting my feet on it for half an hour, you probably want a better one anyway."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Robert's mouth as he shook his head slightly. "Shall I put some music on?"

"Alright," Aaron agreed.

Pulling out his phone, Robert scrolled through something. "Let's see what spotify has to offer. How about 'chilled-out summer vibes'?"

"Yeah, whatever."

Notes began to fall gently into the air, though Aaron couldn't see a speaker when he looked for one.

"I got the whole house wired up with hidden speakers when I moved in," Robert explained, in response to Aaron's look. "You can play different things in every room or have the same song."

Aaron raised his eyebrows. "And that's better than a ten quid bluetooth speaker?"

Robert just looked at him, as though he didn't know what to say. He was saved from having to think of anything by the sound of his doorbell. "I'll see who that is, then." He stood and left the room, pushing the door shut behind him. The sound of the front door opening filtered through faintly.

"Oh, it's you," Robert said.

Aaron sipped his wine and tried to listen. The playlist helpfully moved on to an instrumental track, making it easier to pick out their voices.

"That's a nice way to greet your sister," said the visitor, who Aaron guessed was Vic. "Especially one who's going to make you dinner."

"I'm already making dinner," Robert replied, in an urgent sort of tone.

" _ You're _ cooking?" Vic retorted. "Are you sure you don't mean that you're waiting for deliveroo to get here?"

Aaron smiled to himself.

"Yeah,  _ I'm _ cooking, that's why it stinks of onions in here."

"Alright, can I join in then?"

"I - no. I've got - work to do."

There was a slight pause. Then Vic asked, "Have you got a girl in here?"

Aaron's heart sank. Either Robert was actually straight and Aaron had read him all wrong, or his sister who Aaron could tell Robert loved didn't know that he was gay. Either one was not ideal.

"No! I'm just busy."

"...Have you got a  _ boy _ in here?"

Aaron's eyes shot towards the closed door automatically, staring at the white paint as though he would be able to see through it if he looked hard enough.

"No, he's definitely a grown-up," came Robert's sarcastic answer, but there was an undercurrent of nerves in his tone.

"You have!" Vic crowed, with the kind of delight siblings showed when they realised they had found something new to tease their relatives with. "Alright then, I'll leave you to it. Sorry to interrupt your date."

"It's  _ not _ a date," Robert said, quickly and firmly, and Aaron suffered another blip of disappointment. He would see how Robert was tonight, and maybe ask him out properly, he decided, as Robert said goodbye to Vic and shut the door.

"Sorry, that was my sister," Robert explained as he came back into the living room. He looked over Aaron's body again, perhaps unconsciously, as he approached and sat back down, twisted towards Aaron again but both his hands clasped around the bowl of the wine glass he had picked up from the table. He seemed suddenly nervous in a way Aaron had never seen in him so far.

_ He _ **_is_ ** _ attracted to me, _ Aaron thought, abruptly sure of this again.  _ It's just complicated for some reason.  _ He put out his hand and rubbed Robert's forearm, watching the way Robert's gaze jumped to meet his. "That's okay." He waited until Robert nodded at him, before removing his hand, fighting a smile. They wanted each other, and just knowing that was enough for now. It wasn't exactly unusual for gay men to have complicated relationships with their family.

"What's your policy on dating clients?" Robert asked when they were halfway through dinner.

Aaron shrugged. "I don't know, I've never needed one."

"Yeah? No little old ladies caught your eye?" Robert teased.

"Nah, not really into little old ladies, to be honest... Not really into women generally, actually." Then, just to be sure, he added, "I'm gay."

Robert nodded seriously, putting down a fork full of mashed potato. "Okay. Um - thanks, for telling me."

"Yeah." Aaron drained the last of his wine nervously.

"Top-up?" Robert offered, getting quickly to his feet and skirting around the breakfast bar.

It wasn't really a bad reaction; but Robert hadn't said it back. "Nah, that's enough, or I won't be able to drive home," Aaron said.

"You could get a taxi," Robert suggested.

"Nah, too much bother," Aaron said, not wanting to say that a taxi wasn't really in his budget.

"I'll pay." Robert was stood on the other side of the breakfast bar, bottle of wine in one hand, corkscrew in the other.

Aaron frowned at him. "You don't have to show off all this money."

"I'm not," Robert said at once, and he did seem sincere, so Aaron decided to let it go.

"You just trying to get me drunk then?" he said with a smile.

"Definitely not." Robert opened the tea cupboard. "Cuppa, then?"

Aaron agreed, and a minute later Robert brought him over a mug with the teabag still bobbing in the top.

They talked right through the evening. Aaron kept expecting them to run out of things to say, but somehow they never did, and too soon he found himself standing by the front door with Robert in front of him, saying goodnight.

"Thanks for coming," Robert said. "I had a great time."

"Me too," Aaron said. He leaned in slowly and kissed Robert on the cheek, lingering enough to make it clear that it was not intended platonically. "Goodnight, Robert."

"Goodnight, Aaron."

-

**7th August 2014**

It was a Thursday, Aaron was on his lunch break, and he didn't want to wait another 24 hours to see Robert again. He wondered if he should have kissed Robert properly last week, and yet everything about the evening felt just right; unalterable. He wanted Robert so much, and was enjoying the wanting.

He texted Robert:

**Aaron: Hi. Dyou fancy going for a drink with me tonight?**

He stared at the 'sent' indicator for a few seconds, chewing his lip, before adding:

**Aaron: I mean as a date**

For four and a half nerve-wracking minutes, he finished off his sandwich and crisps, until finally his phone beeped with Robert's reply:

**Robert: You're on. Fox?**

The Fox and Hounds was a pub near Robert's house. Aaron briefly imagined the two of them walking into the Woolpack; best save that for another day.

**Aaron: Yeah. See you there at 7:30?**

**Robert: Perfect :)**

Aaron smiled to himself, pleased. Just over six hours to go. He found himself checking the time repeatedly when he got back to work.

Afterwards, he dashed home for a shower and change of clothes, before taking one of Marlon's lasagnas upstairs to eat in the dining room; the pub felt too busy.

His mum walked in just as he was running down the stairs of the flat after cleaning his teeth.

"See you later," he said as he brushed past.

"Oi, where's the fire?" she demanded, snagging his arm.

"There isn't one," he retorted, shrugging his arm free. "I'm just going out, alright?"

"Where to?"

"Pub," he said shortly, shutting the door of the flat behind him. He was half surprised Chas didn't follow him, but she didn't. He wasn't sure why he wasn't telling her what he was doing; he hadn't told her about staying for tea at Robert's the week before either, simply saying that he had gone to a mate's for a couple of hours. He just wanted to keep Robert as  _ his _ for a while, a secret, with no one gawping at him or giving him the  _ hurt him and you'll pay _ speech which he had no doubt at least one of the Dingles would treat Robert to. He just wanted things to be easy, and quiet, and theirs.

The one person he had mentioned Robert to was his counsellor, that past Monday. He only saw her every four weeks now, because he had to pay for it himself these days and he was in a pretty good place, anyway, all in all. Sometimes he even felt like he could fit all of his thoughts in his head at the same time. Dani hadn't had much to say about Robert other than to be pleased that he was happy about it.

It was the best date Aaron had been on for ages. They had a couple of drinks and talked and flirted, and then they played pool and eyed each other up blatantly as they bent over the table. Aaron was dying to kiss Robert but he didn't know how Robert would feel about kissing a bloke in a public place. They'd have to talk about that at some point.

They stayed right up until last orders were called, then walked outside together.

"Want a lift home?" Aaron offered. Robert's house was barely a mile away and it was still mild out; he had no reason to offer other than wanting to see Robert for a bit longer, and Robert would have no reason to accept other than to see Aaron for a bit longer.

"Yeah, alright."

They climbed into the cab together and pulled on seatbelts. Aaron pulled out of the car park and onto the road, his heart leaping as Robert reached over and rested a hand on his thigh.

"We should do that again," Aaron said.

"How about tomorrow?" Robert suggested, eyes twinkling.

"Maybe," Aaron said cryptically. "I might have plans."

"Playing hard to get?" Robert said, grinning.

"What can I say, I'm just a mysterious man," Aaron teased. He drew in a quick breath as Robert moved his thumb on Aaron's thigh.

They drove along in silence for a minute, while Aaron tried to decide whether to ask the question that had been at the back of his mind all evening - all week, really.

"Does your sister know you're gay?"

"I'm not gay," said Robert.

Aaron scoffed, casting a look at Robert's hand on his thigh. "Yeah, right," he said sceptically.

"I'm not, though," Robert insisted, taking his hand back. "Look, pull over for a second, would you?"

Aaron did so, stopping under the orange glow of a streetlight. He pulled on the handbrake and took off his seatbelt before turning towards Robert. The air felt empty without the growl of the van's engine.

Aaron was not sure how he felt about all this. He wanted Robert, but he didn't want someone closeted, someone full of self-hatred and denial. Aaron had been there, and it was a nightmare - he had no desire to experience it from the outside. He didn't understand how Robert could flirt with him all evening and then claim he wasn't into Aaron.

They faced each other.

"I'm not gay," Robert said again, quietly. "Because I'm bisexual." He was looking at Aaron with wide, worried eyes.

Aaron didn't think he had ever met someone who was bi; he wasn't entirely sure he knew what it meant, not properly. "So, what, you'll just sleep with anyone?"

Robert frowned. "No. It just means I can be attracted to both men and women. Doesn't mean I want to sleep with everyone, just that some of the people I'm into are women, and some of them are men. And yes, Vic knows that, I told her a few weeks ago."

"Only a few weeks ago?" Aaron asked, surprised.

Robert nodded, but before he could say anything, Aaron added:

"Wait, is this new to you? Have you even been with a bloke before?"

"No, it's not new, not really. Part of me has known for quite a long time, but I tried to bury it for years. I have been with men before, but only one night stands." Robert looked down at his hands clasped tightly in his lap. "I didn't tell Vic because my sex life is none of her business, and it never seemed that important - it was just sex, it wasn't like I ever wanted a relationship with a bloke, so it didn't matter. But then suddenly..." He met Aaron's intent gaze. "Suddenly I did want that. And I wanted to know that, if I ever introduced her to someone I was with, she'd know what was going on."

Aaron tried to set all of this straight in his head. "So... did you come out to your sister... because of me?" He laughed nervously. "And we haven't even kissed yet?"

Robert pulled a face which Aaron could only understand as an embarrassed grimace. "Pretty much, yeah."

"Wow... Let's hope I'm worth it."

"You are," Robert said at once, not a trace of hesitation.

No one had ever told Aaron that before: that he was worth something. No one that Aaron had ever believed, anyway. But this time, something felt different. This time, Aaron almost felt like he was being told the truth.

"You certainly have a high opinion of me," Aaron chuckled, trying to ease the slight tension that had arisen between them, because he was not sure if it was sexual or awkward; but Robert met it with more sincerity:

"Yes, I do."

"Oh..." Aaron said. He felt like his brain had been put on pause. His familiar old van had been made alien by the presence of Robert beside him, saying all these things that changed Aaron's world.

"Aaron..." said Robert, putting his hand over Aaron's, which was resting on his thigh. Robert's hand was warm, broad, and beautiful. "Maybe I've said too much, I don't know. But how about you stop overthinking this, and just kiss me?"

So Aaron did, turning his hand under Robert's to hold it. They kissed for an age, with soft lips and quiet sighs. Aaron ran his hand up Robert's arm, feeling Robert's bicep under his thumb and wrapping his palm against the side of Robert's neck. The kiss wasn't heated and frantic, but warm and gentle, as though Robert had his own personal supply of the summer sunshine and was shining it onto Aaron's body.

Robert's lips tasted of beer - but then so did Aaron's, probably - and he smelled slightly of sweat after the heat of the pub, but it wasn't a bad smell, particularly.

When they finally broke the kiss, Aaron rested their foreheads together for a moment, smiling, before pulling back to see the expression mirrored on Robert's face. That was everything he had been hoping for. They just  _ fit _ , he was sure of that; they were good together. He gave Robert a peck on the lips before turning to face front again.

"Right, let's get you home," he said, his voice softer than usual. He could feel Robert's gentle gaze on him as they both pulled on seatbelts again, and it never wavered as Aaron turned the key in the ignition and started moving again. He couldn't help but wonder what Robert was thinking. The looking made Aaron self-conscious, so that he fumbled over a gear change for the first time in his life. Robert just smiled and looked away at last.

Aaron wished he could curl up inside that short journey forever, and never leave those perfect moments. But the van travelled on, striping them with streetlamp light, the engine making the floor grumble against his heels, and the radio murmuring away in the background.

Before too long, and far too soon, they were stopping outside Robert's house. Maybe Robert would invite Aaron inside; maybe he wouldn't. Aaron didn't think he minded either way, he was so perfectly happy.

Robert leaned in and kissed him one more time, just briefly. "Thanks for tonight. See you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah," Aaron agreed. "'Night."

He watched Robert out of the van and across the pavement; it was not until Robert had given him a wave and quietly closed his front door that Aaron finally set off for home.

-

**29th August 2014**

"Have you always wanted to be a gardener?" Robert asked.

It had been three weeks since their first kiss, that night in Aaron's van, though Robert had been away on a business trip for one of those weeks. The garden had felt strangely empty without him, even though he usually stayed in the house. Still, Aaron had missed their chat at the end of the working day.

They were now sat on the grass, leaning against the railway sleepers which separated it from the slightly higher patio; and leaning against each other, too. Robert's hand was on Aaron's thigh again - it was as though he couldn't keep his hands off Aaron.

"Not always, but it was the first real thing I wanted to do," Aaron said in answer to Robert's question. "I was mixed up in some bad stuff when I was a teenager. When I finished school, my family pretty much forced me to start doing something useful. This guy, Doug, he was close to retiring and struggling to keep up with his business so he agreed that I could help him out. And, I don't know, I just liked it. No muppets around telling you what to do all the time. Started going to college a couple of days a week to get a qualification, and by the time he retired I was ready to take on most of his old clients."

Robert smiled and tilted his head for a slow kiss. "Bad boy come good," he said.

Aaron laughed. "Something like that. What about you, have you always wanted to be an 'agricultural machinery salesman'?" He couldn't help the mocking tone; it seemed such a ridiculous way to have made so much money.

"I never really had a clue what I wanted to do," Robert admitted. "I always wanted to get away from the farm, though. I thought I wanted to marry a rich girl and make lots of money." He brushed their noses together, his eyes closing. "Well, I've been engaged, fucked that up, I've made lots of money and I've got a good job. I don't really know what comes next."

"You're always showing off about that," Aaron said, moving back a little to see Robert's blissed-out expression.

"About what?" Robert asked, opening his eyes but squinting a bit against the sun.

"The money."

Robert's cheeks went pink. "I was trying to impress you, you idiot."

"I don't  _ care _ about all that," Aaron said, stung, irritated that Robert would think he did.

"I know that  _ now _ !" Robert said, grinning. "I worked that out pretty quickly, thanks. Then I felt like an idiot for even trying but, well, I did so want to impress you."

"Yeah?" Aaron said quietly.

"Yeah."

"Should've stuck to your knowledge of horticulture," Aaron teased, deadpan. He pretended to be Robert on that first phone call: "'Can you prune this tree for me? No, I don't know what it is, I can't even use my eyes to tell you the trunk is fucking white'." He squirmed away, laughing, as Robert tickled his sides, before relenting and kissing him, deep and happy.

They stayed there, talking and kissing, until the rumbling of Aaron's stomach became too insistent to ignore.

-

**12th September 2014**

Aaron had been checking the apple trees for a couple of weeks, and had decided that today was the day. The apples dropped into his palm with a gentle twist, which meant they were perfectly ripe and ready to pick. They must have been on an appropriately small rootstock to keep them around 10ft tall to the crown, which meant he could pick most of them from the ground but needed a ladder to get right to the top. He wore a rucksack on his front, into which he gently placed each apple to avoid bruising it. When the bag was full, he climbed down and transferred them in double layers to the bottom of a number of crates before taking them inside to Robert, who had decided to cook some of them down to a sauce to freeze, to avoid any wastage.

Perched up a tree, Aaron smiled to himself as he bit into a crisp, ripe apple, the sweet juice bursting across his tongue. He had spoken to Liv on the phone the previous Sunday, after her first week back at school. She had been full of grumbles before eventually asking him whether he and Robert were boyfriends yet, and when she found out they weren't, had demanded, "Why not?"

"We're just not," Aaron had said, uncomfortably.

"You clearly want to be so you need to just, like... get on with it," had come her exasperated response.

"It's nice like this," Aaron had said honestly. "And since when were you an expert?"

"Oh my god, my brother's an idiot." And that had been the last thing she had said before ending the conversation to get her tea.

Aaron had meant what he had said; he was enjoying this long, slow summer of work and lust. He liked looking at Robert's handsome face, kissing him, and thinking  _ It could happen any time we wanted _ . He liked the waiting, and the wanting, and the looking forward. They had time.

But then, even having time, how did they pick the right moment? If any moment could be when they took the next step, what would finally take them there? This was fun, yes, but he didn't want to be in limbo forever.

Aaron finished his apple and dropped the core to the base of the tree before climbing down. Today, he decided (if Robert agreed), was the day. He wiped his hands on the back of his work trousers and got a bit of apple skin out of his teeth with his thumbnail. Then he swallowed nervously and made his way across the lawn, across the patio, and through the open sliding door to the kitchen.

At the noise of his footsteps, Robert looked up from where he was chopping a mountain of peeled apples and smiled. "Who'd have thought you could get so much fruit off three small trees?"

Aaron said nothing, just finished taking off his boots while Robert returned to cooking. Aaron felt a rush of affection for him as he realised that Robert was humming. He stepped close and took the knife out of Robert's hand, putting it down on the chopping board before cupping Robert's cheeks and giving him an open-mouthed kiss, their lips sliding against each other, together and apart. Robert's hands landed on Aaron's waist, holding him in place. Aaron tried to imbue the kiss with purpose and intention, tried to communicate without words that he wanted to take this somewhere new.

Aaron slipped one hand down Robert's chest, pushing it under Robert's navy blue shirt to feel the plane of his stomach - because of course he worked out, the vain bastard. Aaron smiled into the kiss, letting it lighten into pecks and soft brushes as he touched Robert's skin. His hand lowered to Robert's crotch, then turned to cup him through his shorts. Robert gasped, suddenly off-balance and swaying into Aaron, who began to rub him.

"Mm, god..."

"Robert..." Aaron slowed his movements, then stopped, moving his hand to Robert's hip.

Robert looked at him steadily. "Yeah?"

"You got any condoms?"

A smile spread across Robert's face. "Yeah, as it happens."

Aaron's skin fizzed at the eagerness in Robert's blue-green eyes. He tipped his head towards the kitchen door as he asked, "D'you want to go upstairs, then?"

"Can you do me one favour first?" Robert asked, taking Aaron's hands and holding them palm-up between them. "Can you wash these?"

Aaron huffed a laugh. "What, is dusty apple grime not a turn-on for you?"

"I'm afraid not," Robert said, tugging him gently towards the sink and washing his own hands clean of apple juice too. Once they were done, Robert held out a hand to Aaron. Aaron looked at it, savouring the moment, before taking it. When he looked up, Robert was grinning at him. Aaron suddenly realised his freckled nose was slightly wonky, not that it made any difference to how attractive he was. Robert's grip tightened, and then he was pulling Aaron out of the kitchen and up the stairs behind him at a run, while Aaron laughed at his enthusiasm.

Robert led them into his bedroom and shut the door behind them. The bedroom window was perfectly transparent, until Robert flicked what looked like a normal lightswitch by the door and it instantly became frosted again.

Aaron snorted. "Fucking ridiculous," he murmured, pulling their hips together and going for another kiss.

"Can't blame me for that one," Robert said between kisses. "It was like that when I moved in."

Aaron did not bother to answer, putting his mouth to better use in kissing a line across Robert's jaw and onto his neck. Robert's head tipped back at once as Aaron kissed and licked at his skin.

"I-I like that," Robert said breathlessly.

"What about love bites?"

Robert nodded. "Yeah, another time, though."

"'Kay," Aaron whispered, stroking his fingers over the patch of pale gold skin on Robert's throat that he would have liked to leave a mark on, before kissing it gently. He tugged at the collar of Robert's shirt, frustrated at it for keeping him from looking his fill at Robert's body. He fumbled with the buttons, too impatient to take his time. "Who even wears a shirt with shorts; what's wrong with you?" he grumbled, as Robert helped him by starting on the bottom buttons. When their hands met in the middle, they wrenched the fabric off him together. He was fucking perfect. Aaron could hardly think of a word to describe him other than  _ fucking perfect _ . He could have been happy with a photo of this bloke on his bedroom wall to get off to, but he was  _ here _ and  _ real _ and breathing quickly as Aaron kissed his collarbones.

"It's for - smart. Doing - work," Robert said, stumbling over his words.

Aaron laughed at his incoherency, delighted at the proof of what he was doing to Robert. "I'd quit while you're ahead if I were you." Then the ground disappeared from under his feet, and Aaron grabbed for Robert's shoulders as he was lifted off the ground, his groin pressed against Robert's stomach as Robert carried him to the king-size bed. He laughed again and kissed Robert's face, his cheeks.

"Jesus, you're heavy," Robert grunted, as he let Aaron slide onto the bed with a clear attempt at gracefulness.

"Yeah, maybe keep that trick for the girls," Aaron suggested, scooting up to the top of the bed.

"Don't want any girls," Robert said softly, not looking at him as he rooted through a box in his nightstand and put a few condoms, a packet of dental dams and a bottle of lube on the surface. "Just want you," he added, positioning himself between Aaron's open knees and leaning in for another kiss. How many was that now? Aaron had lost count already. Maybe it didn't matter. Maybe they would share so many that putting a number to it would become meaningless.

He felt Robert starting to lift his long-sleeved t-shirt and panicked suddenly, feeling insecure as he compared his own marred flesh to Robert's flawless stomach. Aaron grabbed for the hem and pulled it down again, making Robert look up at him in surprise.

"You okay?"

Aaron took a moment to breathe, clutching the bottom of his t-shirt. He was scared that Robert would see him and think him ugly, or hear the story and think him messed up. But if he wanted this, and as more than a one-off - which he did, so very much - then Robert would inevitably see him naked at some point. It might as well be now. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just..." He considered his words. "I've got some scars." He steeled himself, leaned forward enough to grip the neck of the t-shirt at the back and pulled it over his head, letting it drop to the floor and watching for Robert's reaction anxiously. His heart was beating so heavily, it must have been visible in his chest.

Robert turned Aaron's wrist over to show the largest scar, on Aaron's forearm, which cut through a number of smaller, older ones. "Are these from gardening?" Robert asked tentatively, trailing a fingertip over it, but he did not sound as though he believed it.

Aaron briefly considered lying and saying yes, but decided not to. It would only make it harder to share the real story later, if he wanted to. "No, they're not. But I'll tell you about it another time, okay?"

"Okay," Robert said softly. He kissed a few of the scars on Aaron's stomach gently, then moved up to his chest while his hand travelled down instead, rubbing Aaron's cock through his trousers. Aaron was glad he wasn't making it a big deal, and gave a sigh that was almost a moan at the feeling of Robert's hand on him at long last. He arched up into the contact, his hands going to Robert's hair and threading through it, messing it up very quickly. Robert's lips on his chest felt like heaven.

Then he stopped, and hurriedly unclipped Aaron's belt, unfastened his trousers, and finished undressing him until Aaron was completely naked beneath him. Robert stared at him as though he could not believe his luck, making Aaron smile.

"You going to do anything or just look at me?" Aaron teased.

"Can do both, can't I?" retorted Robert, grabbing one of the condoms and opening it quickly. He could hardly get it on Aaron quick enough before his mouth was there, hot around the head of Aaron's cock, his tongue pressing against the slit.

"Oh, jesus," Aaron gasped, his hands fisting in the llama-covered fleece blanket he was lying on. Robert was good with his mouth, licking and sucking at the tip of Aaron's cock, using his hand on the rest. "Oh, Robert," Aaron moaned. "Rob..."

Robert's fingertips strayed from Aaron's cock to the seam between his balls, making him squirm with pleasure as Robert began to play with his testicles, rubbing them gently under his palm. "Fuck, that's good -" Aaron managed to say.

Robert trailed down the crease of his groin, fingertips exploring lower, until they were stroking Aaron's rim and he said quickly - "No."

Robert's head popped up at once; he looked crestfallen. "No?"

The look on his face made Aaron realise that it had sounded as though he was saying no to sex entirely. "Sorry," he said, brushing Robert's messy hair away from his forehead. "I just mean, no, I don't bottom. At all. And I don't like, you know, touching down there."

"Oh, okay," Robert said. He paused for a moment, looking a bit dazed, his eyes on Aaron's chest.

"Are we going to have a problem?" Aaron asked.

Robert looked up at him again and smiled. "No. I'm happy with anything."

"You sure?" Aaron checked.

"As long as I get you, I don't mind what we do," Robert said, somehow managing to not make it sound soppy. "Shall I bottom for you, then?"

"Brilliant. Get naked, farm boy," Aaron said, tugging on the bottom of Robert's shorts.

"Call me that again and you're not getting laid," Robert threatened, rocking back onto his arse and wriggling out of his clothes. He was hard, which made Aaron smile. He waited until Robert had dropped his shorts off the side of the bed and leaned towards him again before putting a hand behind his head and guiding him closer.

"Empty words," Aaron said against his lips, then kissed them. "I think you want this too much to go through with that." He moved his mouth to Robert's ear. "Farm boy."

Robert shoved at his chest playfully, but Aaron just laughed. He kept a hold on Robert's shoulder and pulled him back in easily to kiss his neck.

"You want to stop, then? Have I offended you so greatly you don't want me?" he gloated.

Robert sighed ecstatically at the attention. "You know I don't want to stop, you bastard. I do have an idea, though." He dipped into the box again and came out with a small black silicone butt toy, just a simple slender triangular shape.

"Mm, so farm boy plays on his own," Aaron said, taking it. He loved the thought of Robert lying here, getting himself worked up, pressing inside himself with this toy.

"Aaron!" Robert admonished him for the nickname.

Aaron laughed. "Alright, fine. I won't call you farm boy. Where do you want to be?"

"I think... On my front for this bit, and then... on our sides." They shifted; Robert took Aaron's place at the top of the bed, grabbed a pillow from the other side and positioned it under his hips. Aaron massaged his hands up and down Robert's arse, letting his thumbs curl in to Robert's inner thighs. He kissed the crease underneath, kissed the meat of his arse.

"D'you like biting?"

"No, thanks."

"Okay," Aaron said, and kept things gentle, moving his mouth over Robert's arse and the small of his back, admiring the jut of his shoulder blades under his skin.

Aaron squeezed a drop of lube between Robert's cheeks, before parting them to lay a dental dam on top. As he began to lick at Robert, Robert sighed happily into his folded arms.

"Good?"

"Mmmm..."

He kissed Robert's hole, then pressed the tip of his tongue against the centre of it and licked outwards, the smallest of spreads. He kept this up until Robert was whimpering with it, his hips pressing forwards, then backwards, as he sought  _ more _ . Aaron abandoned the sheet of latex and took a minute to stroke himself, making sure he stayed hard, though he was practically aching with need by now.

After covering it with lubricant, Aaron stuck one finger through the hole at the end of the butt toy and teased the tip of it against Robert's hole.

"Ugh, yeah, more," Robert said, almost at once, so Aaron began to press inside him with it, pushing in and out and getting gradually deeper each time to stretch Robert out more. "Fuck," Robert whispered, when the toy was nearly completely inside him. Aaron pushed just a little bit further until the main part of it was all inside him, with just the handle sticking out. He stroked Robert's hip soothingly.

"You ready?"

"Yes," Robert said at once. He raised onto his hands and knees with the toy still inside him, throwing the pillow from under his hips back where it belonged and shifting a bit gingerly onto his side. Aaron lay down close behind him and kissed his shoulders and the side of his neck, gliding one hand down his ribs. He gripped the end of the toy and pulled gently and steadily, making Robert shudder as it left him.

Aaron covered his cock generously with lube, wiping the last of it against Robert's hole. Then he held himself steady and pressed forwards, Robert's hand grasping for his hip to pull them together. They both groaned as the head of Aaron's cock entered Robert. They began to rock together, a little out of time at first, but soon finding a rhythm. Aaron had been so aroused for so long now that he went quickly, chasing the feeling of orgasm which had come close and slipped away a couple of times now.

"Slow down," Robert said. "No rush, yeah?"

"'Course," Aaron agreed, and slowed, with his arm wrapped around Robert, their bodies so closely in contact that all Aaron's scars were hidden against Robert's skin. He kissed Robert's neck clumsily.

He could feel the pleasure building between them, could feel when Robert let go of his hip to touch himself. He could listen to Robert's moans all day.

"Aaron -" Robert said brokenly, and that was almost enough to make Aaron come all on its own - "Aaron, I'm close."

"Me too," Aaron murmured back. "Go with it - it's okay -" He broke off as pleasure overwhelmed him, and he came inside the condom, inside Robert, came for a  _ long _ time. A strangled noise escaped him as he held his breath against it, his hips frozen in place.

As it faded, he got to look down on Robert's hand pumping his own cock, got to stroke Robert's chest and watch as he came in spurts over his blanket, then stilled, panting.

"Jesus fuck," Robert said quietly.

Aaron pulled out of him carefully, wincing as he got oversensitive. He removed the condom and tied it off, wiping his hand on the blanket which was already going to need a wash anyway. Shuffling up the bed slightly, he looked down into Robert's face, leaning down to kiss him when he turned his head. "You okay?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Brilliant," Aaron said honestly. "I'm just going to clean up." He kissed Robert once more before heading to the bathroom and wiping himself off with a flannel he found in a cupboard.

He had wondered if Robert was going to be asleep when he got back, but when he returned to the bedroom, Robert had binned the rubbish and dumped the soiled blanket in a pile. Aaron pulled on his boxers and sat uncertainly on the edge of the bed while Robert took his own trip to the bathroom. Now, that... that had been fantastic.

Robert returned in a fresh pair of pants. "We're good at that," he said, retrieving a new blanket - grey, with small cartoon wolves on - from behind the dressing screen and climbing back onto the bed with it.

There was the sound of the doorbell. Robert propped himself up on his elbow, frowning. "Terrible timing. Get back into bed."

The bell went again. "Robert! I know you're there, it's Friday!" called a voice.

"Vic," said Robert sleepily. "Don't suppose you fancy meeting her?"

"God no, not now," said Aaron, alarmed.

"Good, let's have a kip and pretend we're not in," Robert said, his hand warm against Aaron's as he encouraged him to get in.

Aaron didn't take much persuading. He lay down close to Robert, flipping the thin blanket over himself and letting Robert fit his chin against the top of Aaron's head. Robert was right; they were very good at that.

-

**26th December 2014**

"Aren't you going to break the tree sitting up there?" said Robert.

"Nah, it's old and strong," Aaron said, leaning out to snip another twig off with his Felcos. "Could probably take both of us."

"You reckon?" asked Robert, sounding surprised. There was a scuffling noise as Robert clambered up the bare tree, finding a thick branch next to Aaron's and sitting on it gingerly.

"See?" Aaron said smugly.

"Shut it, you." Robert leaned over cautiously and kissed his boyfriend on the lips, the ends of his scarf dangling down.

"Aaron and Robert sittin' in a tree -" called a voice.

"For god's sake," groaned Robert.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Shut up, Liv!" Aaron yelled across to the patio where Liv, Chas and Vic were sitting, bundled up in their winter clothes. Laughter echoed back.

Aaron and Robert had spent Christmas morning with their respective siblings, then gone to Robert's for the afternoon, before Chas had brought Liv over to visit as well as Vic on boxing day. Aaron had been itching to get on with the apple trees, and decided to use it as an excuse to get out of the crowded house for a while.

"I'll do that branch on the birch next week," Aaron said musingly.

"No rush," Robert said, shrugging.

"Yeah, might as well, though."

"Even less of a rush if... if you move in," Robert said.

Aaron stared at him, suddenly feeling too hot in his coat. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I meant to ask yesterday, actually, but, well, I bottled it."

Aaron grinned. "Wimp. I'd love to move in. Farm boy."

**Author's Note:**

> Here ends my second robron fic! Man, I hope you liked it. Anyone else desperate for summer in these cold and windy times?? Let me know if this gave you good vibes! Also let me know if this was hot because I can never tell about my own sex scenes!


End file.
